Initially drawn to Lakeland by baseball spring training, the area's natural beauty, and the opportunity to develop land, H.A. Stahl and associates from Cleveland, Ohio, purchased 560 acres on the south side of Lake Hollingsworth extending to the Lakeland Highlands area for $935.000 in October 1924. On this land, Stahl created a housing development and golf course named Cleveland Heights Golf Course in 1925. Advertised as a paradise for the home of your dreams and an unexcelled opportunity for community club life, it made every homeowner who bought property from Stahl a member and stockholder in the Cleveland Heights Golf and Country Club. From 1925 to 1932, Cleveland Heights was a successful private golf course. By 1932, the economic downturn and delinquent taxes led Stahl to sell the property to the city of Lakeland. Since 1932, Cleveland Heights Golf Course has been open to the public as a center for community in Lakeland. Through events such as the 4-Ball Invitational and the Dexter Daniels Parent/Child Golf Tournament, it has maintained and furthered the traditions of golf culture in Lakeland for multiple generations. As Cleveland Heights celebrates 100 years of operation, a 1926 local newspaper advertisement still reflects its place in the community as a residential and recreational center belonging to Lakeland and its people. Andy Bean (1953-2023), an 11-time PGA Tour winner and local Lakelander, had an immeasurable impact on golf in Lakeland and around the nation.